Firestarter
by Resting-Madness
Summary: Someone's been lighting fires in the world of ruin, and its their job to find out who before more than property gets damaged. But is the culprit one of their own?
1. Sunkin Treaure

Disclaimer: I don't own Final fantasy vi/iii not the characters, locations, or overall premis behind it.

Commentary: Maybe someday I'll do an upgraded FFVI story, but until then enjoy the pents. Thanks you.

...

Aboard the Blackjack II, one cool evening in May.

Setzer is in its kitchen cooking dinner. He walked over to the sink, dumping a bowl of noodles into a collinder; everything was going fine until with preparing dinner when... He draws in a sharp breath seeing a wall of flames jump up from his stove!

The gambler quickly grabbed a pot from the rack above the island counter, and filled it with water which he hurriedly dumps it on the grumbling flame to put it out only...

"Oh no."

The water hit the flames as though it were gasonline, causing the inferno to spread across the counter in a rolling wave! He looked around frantically for something- anything- that could help him.

The fire embers transformed into little tiny monsters that danced around the counter then onto his shirt. "AH!" He brushed at his shirt trying to remove them, off but it isn't working. He fell against the wall in a panic; the burn is getting into his skin! He was losing it, and it wasn't helping him get the flames off any faster.

_'I've got to get out of here!' _He thought to himself. But when he tried to stand he was jumped by the whole fleet of them. "Aaaah!" He cried out in horrid, arresting pain. And just when he felt his life slipping into darkness, he snapped his eyes open breathing hard and rasp.

_'It was a dream, the whole bloody thing was a dream and-...' _But it wasn't a dream! The flames from his dream are currently dancing along the walls of his bedroom! He stood up on the bed._ 'I've got to save my ship.' _He thought of it before anything else. It too a second to decide on it, and jumped to the chandellier swinging himself across the room landing heavily to the wooden floor.

His feet pound down the hall to the top deck of the flying vessel. Setzer had no other choice but to land. Unfortunately, if he was going to save the Blackjack... it was gonna have to be in the water.

The gambler went to the control panel and started the ship's motor, rolling the wheel towards the South Figaro sea; he pressed on the gas as hard as he could, and finally saw the stretch of the ocean just as the deck of the ship began to fall through.

0 0 0

Out in the fields of South Figaro.

Locke is laying on his back under a tree; Sabin is doing some of his blitz fighting techniques; Edgar had to stay at the castle for important business matters, and he told the two of them- after seeing what they did with the ham for luncheon- to go outside until he's finished. So now they were kicking back in the shade out in the warmth of the sun.

"Ya know, Ed' sure lacks a funny bone." Sabin was saying, in the midsts of doing a move without looking at Locke.

The thief just lifted an eyelid open to look at him. "What makes you say that?" He asked; Sabin shrugged, continuing as though he'd never stopped talking. "I mean the ham was still good, it was just a little airborn." He suddenly broke into a fit of laughter.

Locke chuckled a second before saying to his muscular friend. "You've just got too much funny bone."

"Maybe." The blitz master stopped what he was doing to join Locke on the grass. "Aaahhh." He sighed in refresh, and closed his eyes.

They were both about to drift off when they heard coughing in the distance and a casual swear. Both of the mens eyes snap open, and they turn their head looking at each other with the same question.

"You heard it too?" Sabin asked; and the theif nodded standing up.

The two of them run over to where the ocean meets the sand; and at the very sight of the mop of white hair they knew who the voice belonged too.

"Setzer!?" Locke called to him.

Sabin came up by the gambler's side, just as he turned himself around to face where he'd just come from, taking a seat on the grass. "He's gone..." The man said in a flat tone.

"Who's gone?" Sabin asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

"The Blackjack."

The two men let out a loud sigh of relief and bitterness for worrying them even a little.

Not missing the absense of concern, he chides. "Thanks for caring, really, I'm fine." Setzer said sarcastically.

The pair only snicker, patting him on the shoulder. "It's not that." The thief said and looked out into the ocean. "It's just that you always crash that thing, and you always act as though it's the end of the world... but then you get it back. So why worry?"

Setzer looked at him and blinked. "I do not always crash it. And regardless being able to repair it, its never easy. Not to mention it's at the bottom of the blasted ocean!" He answered grabbing his hair into a ponytail and squeezed it out.

"What happened, exactly?" Sabin asked as he crouched down beside him.

"Well," the gambler started, "I was asleep, having this really horrible dream that my ship was on fire... next thing you know I wake up and my ship really is on fire." His head drooped downward. "I'd like to know how that fire got started in the first place?"

"Do you think maybe you left the stove on all night?" Locke threw out an explaination as to why there might have been a fire. "The heat could have ignited the wood."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was off; besides that, I was in and out of the kitchen before I went to bed and none of them were on. More importantly, the fire was in my bedroom."

Sabin scratched his chin and said. "Maybe someone snuck on board and did it? It wouldn't be the first time some one's tried to kill us." He then added. "And with you letting on any random stranger to gamble in your casino... well, I don't know what else to say..." the blitzmaster trailed off because Setzer shook his head to even that- although it would make sense.

"No one was on my ship yesterday. I was flying around the whole time, I even left it in the air when I was going to bed."

Locke raised a hand and slapped him between the shoulderblades, and grinned. "Don't hang your head just yet, old man." He said cheerfully.

"Why not?" The gambler asked.

"Because Edgar has a set of armed fork-lifts that are controlled by levers..." he saw their blank expressions. "Figaro Sea isn't that deep it can reach in and get your ship easy."

Setzer's face suddenly brightened at the sound of that; and he threw soggy, wet arms around the thief's neck.

"Aaahh," Locke was making little noises of protest to the hug because, even though it's sunny outside, it was still a windy day and he had on thin clothes. "Setz'... maybe you could give me a friendly hand shake."

Not hearing the protest, the gambler backed away saying, "Thank you, Locke. I'll owe you one."

"Well, he is my brother." Sabin was saying wanting a reward too.

Sezter just laughed merrily, before running towards Figaro castle.

"Wait!" Locke said remembering that Edgar was in a meeting.

"Setzer wait!" Sabin called and they ran after him.

Somewhere in Thamasa.

Terra is visiting Relm for the day; the little girl took them outside to draw the flowers growing in the town. Relm's were beautifully done, with color and life that matched nature's beauty perfectly. Terra's just looked like a drawn piece of crumpled paper with a stem, but she smiled down at it with pride.

"How's this?" She asked the young artist, who looked over at it with mock scrutany.

"Hmm... If you have a day job you'd better keep it, because that thing is the pits." She replied but smiled to let her know it was all in fun.

"Hmm, maybe you're right?" The Esper held the drawing up and turned it side ways. "It definitly looks better this way." She said mostly to herself then grabs a blue paint brush to color the self-loved masterpiece in.

"I wonder what Edgar and the other guys are up too?" Relm held her drawing up, smiling at it. Painting stills was just too easy, she would rather do people. Preferably a gorgeous king, with noble looks and a need to flirt. Maybe he'd even flirt with her today... It could happen. Closing her notebook, she declares. "Another work of art, Claudia will love it."

Claudia is Relm's legal guardian in the village. Her house is just down the hill from her's and Strago's; and after her friends had helped the woman out when her home was on fire, how could she say no- of course- Relm is still living in her old home, she's just looked in on to make sure everything is ok.

"Edgar said there's a luncheon at the castle once the meeting is over. Setzer said he'd pick us up to go." Terra replied to a question she wasn't sure had even really been asked.

"Great, I'm gonna go get ready. It's probably pretty close to the time already."

She stood up, brushing grass from her baggy pants then took off towards the house; glad to have an excuse to get away from Terra; she liked her all right but she was never really used to having female friends- even though she'd been living with Celest for six weeks when she was doing a painting for Owzer in Jidoor. Celest had been living in Kohlingen, so going back and fourth by bird was no problem for the girl; but now the ex-general lives in Doma castle with Cyan.

Terra saw a breeze pick up and frowned that she couldn't feel it at first. She stood up then and walked outside of town looking up at the sky to see if she could see the Blackjack coming. _'I wonder where he could be? He's usually early.'_

Figaro castle.

The three men arrive at the castle to the greeting guards. "Good afternoon prince Sabin and Locke." They nod to Setzer whom they didn't really know too well; and he nodded back getting an akward glance at the fact that he was still wet from his submerge in the sea.

When they walked into the castle a large group of men were being escorted out past them with Edgar rounding them up from behind. "Thank you for a lovely meeting gentlemen, do come by again." He said to them.

The earls wave goodbye, waiting for their moble Chocobo transferer called a Carriage- they were very popular now a days- to take them back to the town of South Figaro.

"I hope you two have learned your lessons about throwing food." Edgar said to Locke and Sabin the second he turned to them.

"Of course we did." Sabin said grinning as though he meant he learned his lesson for the afternoon, and the evening was a different story.

"Setzer, what the devil happened to you?" He asked looking him over.

"My ship had to make a crash landing into the ocean to put the fire out," Seeing Edgar's expression, he shakes his head. "Right now I need to ask you for a favor," he said and Edgar raised an eye brow.

"Go ahead."

"Locke says you have some armed crane lifts that can get my ship out of the water, and I was wondering if I could borrow them?" He asked, with a quick nod from the king.

"Sure, I'll have my men help you out there with them. I can't opperate it for you because I have to host luncheon today."

"I understand." Setzer said turning to leave the castle. He honestly didn't care if a flying monkey opperated the thing, so long as he gets his ship back.

"Hang on Setz' I'll help you." The blitz specialist said, going out the door with him waving a hand over his shoulder to Locke and his brother.

"Looks like it's just you and me for a while." Edgar said smiling at Locke, and leaned in easily to kiss him.

"Mmmh." The theif moaned into his mouth placing his hands into his prince's hair.

"You know," Edgar was saying as he backed them to the door. "cooks not in yet, so we'll have the kitchen all to ourselves."

Locke ran his tongue across the king's moving lips and smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"

The pair hurry to the kitchen, seeming only able to break away from each other long enough to get there. They'll have lunch alright, but not the scheduled kind.


	2. Kitchen Duty

Edgar is propped up on the cool wooden countertop, head lulled back with light moans escaping his mouth; and on the floor kneeling, Locke's lips are sucked in over his teeth, and with the cover he's munching on Edgar's length, lapping at it when its held in place in his mouth. The ministrations are giving the king a very painful stiffening beneath the fabric.

Edgar's hands slid past the thiefs lips and undid the interferring ties on his pants front; Locke was much oblidged, and quickly took it into his mouth surrounding it in it's warmth.

"Mmh." The king sighed and moved his hips upward more into that cage of heat.

Locke sucked in a breath through his nose when his lips hit the base of Edgar's hard-on and exhales when pulling back; the brief rush of heat against Edgar's moistened skin made his hips spasm forward. Locke had to hold the man's hips down before he got stabbed in the gag-reflex.

From there the thief's hands slide themselves up the king's body to brush his nipples, where he lazy makes little cirlces around them. Edgar's breathing was ragged and as he closed his eyes tightly; running his hands through his lover's brown-gray hair.

The thief raised the king's leg to rest up on his shoulder heightening the pleasure; Edgar tilts his head back drinking in the feeling. "Uhhh!" His eyes flutter over the pleasure, closing when he just can't take one more swirl of Lock's tongue over the head of his member.

"Uuuhh..." He straightened up in a sudden panic. He wasn't crazy, he heard the knob on the door jiggle. Pushing Locke back from him, he rolls off the counter top to a croutched position where he tucks himself back into his pants while grabbing the thief's hand, steering him to the back of the kitchen just as the solid wooden door swung open.

"Shit, what's he doing back so soon?" Locke asked not really as a question.

"I don't know." Edgar panted a little out of breath and still fixing himself up.

"What do we do?" The thief then asked; Edgar looked at the door on the other side of the kitchen.

"See that pot over there?" The king instructed and Locke looked over his other shoulder seeing a pot on the other counter.

"Right."

Sneaking over to the counter, Locke grabs a silver metal pan from it then he returned to the stone square pillar he and Edgar hid behind. "Got it." He showed it to him.

Edgar took the pot, and scouting an area that's clear he tosses it back where it came from, causing a racket on the countertop as the silver pan knocked over other pots and silverware.

"What on earth?" The cook jumped in start; going over to pick the items up, the two men snuck from the kitchen on the side that was now opened to them.

Once in the hall way they sighed and laughed to themselves. "We'd better learn to keep it in the special room, otherwise our little secret won't be a secret anymore." The king informed before grabbing the thief's face between his hands and kissing him.

Locke enhaled the kiss and sighed out when Edgar backed away. "Gods you taste good."

Edgar chuckled a bit to that and wrapped the man in a hug still feeling the light wet spots from when Setzer had hugged him. "Come on, let's go take care of these."

Locke couldn't be happier to hear that as they ran to the king's bed room.

0 0 0

"Could you please be careful?!" Setzer shouted over the noise as the guards lowered the metal arms into the water of Figaro Sea.

The men were being as careful as they could be, but Setzer seemed to think differently. He watched in agony as the metal of the arms groaned and whined getting under the rolling water; and he thought that they'd surely fail in getting it out.

"We caught a hold of something!" The guard controlling it called over the noise.

The gambler walked to the edge of the water looking downward into it. He strained his eyes, but gradually he began to see the brown showing through the almost black ocean causing him to grin.

"Back up, sir!" The man in the machine called; Sabin rolled his eyes and walked to the edge placing his hands on the gambler's shoulders to usher him out of the way.

The water bubbled where the upper level began to sink into the opening of the ships deck. The group of the men cover their ears from the roaring sound, watching as the airship was raised into the air and up over the land.

"Coming down!" The controller shouted and began to lower the ship to the grass.

"Gods...he's ruined." The gambler breathed, already estimating the price range to get supplies to fix the damages done.

"Welp," Sabin was saying shaking his head. "we won't be seeing you for a while."

"Ha ha." Setzer walked to his ship and placed a hand on it. "Don't worry my love, I'll get you back in the air in no time." He said quietly to the flying vessel.

Sabin cocked an eyebrow and said to himself. "I thought his ship was a guy?" Shaking it off with a shrug he decided to join the crown inside the castle. "I'm heading back to Figaro for luncheon, you coming?"

"I can't, I have to start repairs right away. Some other time though, right?"

Sabin nods, beginning to walk away when he heard Setzer saying...

"Oh no, I completely forgot about that."

Sabin stopped and turned around calling back. "Forgot about what?"

"I promised to pick up Terra and Relm to go with me to the castle." He gestured a hand. "Can't exactly take them there in this."

"No problem, I'll get 'em!" The blitz specialist called over the distance. "I'll use one of the castles vessels."

"Thank you!" Setzer called back. Followed him with his eyes until he disappeared, he then turned back to his boat with a heavy sigh. "Now what am I going to do with you?"

Five of the men walked up to Setzer's side and saluted.

"We are still at your service for the afternoon, sir; anything we can help you with?" Said a guard. "We at Figaro are the finest in machinary."

"How are you with a hammer?" The gambler asked.

"The best in the world." Another of them answered.

"Very good. Follow me." Said the gambler and they went down the path to South Figaro.


	3. Courting

"So my neighbor wants a self portrait of me in his house! Isn't that bizzare?!" Relm was saying when everyone was having luncheon.

"Maybe he has a crush on you?" Locke suggested and the little girl rolled her eyes.

"Yuck, I don't do adolescentes." She replied with her nose in the air as though the boy could see it. "I'm into more sophisticated men." She said looking at Edgar fluttering her lashes; he raised an eye brow at her then turned his vision away.

"Hm hm." She laughed quiantly and went back to her meal. "Hey Terra, you're awfully quiet, what's up?" Asked Locke looking across the table at the solemn young woman who seemed to be deep in thought.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering what happened out by South Figaro? Setzer's ship was a wreck. Did he crash? Is he all right? I didn't see him when we went by?" She looked them in the eyes to make sure no one would lie about it; they were her friends, yeah, but sometimes you say stuff to protect someone's feelings, especially when you care so much about them.

"Nah, Setz' is fine." Sabin was saying. "There was just a little fire incident that's all."

"A fire..." She said mainly to herself and her voice trailed off.

The Esper girl closed her eyes seeing a bit of a dream she'd had last night invovling fires and Setzer. _'Could it have been a premonition?'_ She wondered but shook it off.

"So my dear, what's been going on in your neck of the woods. How's the orphanage?" Edgar asked in interest.

"Well, I wouldn't really call it an orphanage any more, all the kids are so grown up they've all traveled out to find new homes. Now it's just me and a few of the younger kids that were left behind- and Duane and Katrina because they haven't saved up enough to move yet themselves."

Edgar nodded when she was finished, showing he was listening- he was well taught in the manners department.

"What about you? Anything exciting happen around the kingdom lately?" She returned the question; Edgar glanced at Locke a second and replied.

"Not much, just the usual sign this- remember to do that, that kind of thing."

Locke grinned into his napkin pretending to wipe his mouth.

"Poor guy, you should take a vacation some time- like to Thamasa." Relm said flashing him a toothy grin not the least bit put-off when he chuckled lightly at her odd sense of humor.

"Well, as you probably know, I did nothing all day so... feel free to take my time up with any activities." Sabin was saying to whom ever would listen to him.

"By the way, thanks for coming to get us Sabin." Terra said patting his shoulder.

"No problem Terr'." He replied biting into a hunk of honey dripped bread.

"I'll tell you one thing, this winter is gonna be harsh. How am I supposed to practice my mapping skills when I hardly wanna go outside?" Locke asked; Edgar's foot brushed his making him instantly blush.

"I'm sure you'll find something to do." The king replied.

"Yeah and if all else fails you can pick the locks on the doors." Sabin grinned widely, as Locke rolled his eyes saying.

"Ha ha ha."

They laughed a second, interrupted by the doubled doors to the dining room parting. They turned their heads seeing Setzer walking in. He didn't say anything just walked over to the table with a cloth which he filled with food, after which he nods his head once to them then walked back out.

"He'd make a great merchant; he takes the finer things, and gives them to someone else." Edgar said and they laughed out loud.

0 0 0

"Setzer!" Terra called as she ran down the field towards where his ship was landed.

"Hello Terra, lovely to see you. Are you going to help?"

She grabbed a towel and started dabbing off the side of the ship; looking at all of the men who were taking a break and eating, then she started staring at him.

"If you're trying to make me uncomfortable I've got to tell you it's working." He said looking down at her, but she shook away her staring and then spoke.

"I was just thinking that if you have nowhere to stay, the orphanage has plenty of room... and I could use someone around to talk to."

A smile played on his lips and he nodded to agree. "I'd love nothing better than to stay there with you."

She smiled shyly, and started to bunch the towel in her hands blushing; and it didn't help when he laughed at her attempt to hide it.

"Don't laugh." She hit him on the arm with the towel and explained herself. "I've just never had a guy staying there before, I mean Duane's there but he lives in another house over, and besides I don't see much of them when I just need someone to talk to." She started to dry the outter part of the ship again.

"I'll be your ears and eyes my dear." He said as though to himself, and he went back to work letting her steal a glance at him and she blushed again.

_'What is this weird feeling I'm getting from him- I know he's flirting with me but that's what guys do, so why does this feel so different?'_ The Esper girl wondered, but shrugged her shoulders. "Do you want me to do the inside too?" She asked.

He looked, nodding. Watching her walk inside of the ship, he smiles at the sway of her hips. _'She's so giving.' _He thought suddenly, and mindlessly continued marking places to cut the replacement wood._ 'Maybe we could have some alone time to...' _he trailed off shaking his head. _'Calm yourself man, she's a lady, not some hop in bed- __**any**__ bed fluzzy...if I really like her I have to be a gentleman about it.'_

"Right." He made an oath to himself out loud.

"What?" She asked from a mere foot beyond the ship's door.

He replied saying. "Nothing Terra, I was talking to myself again."

He heard her make a sound of acknowledgement and he made a plain laugh to himself.

"Someday."


	4. Sometimes Glancing

Later on that night they: Relm, Setzer, and Terra were on a boat. Relm was going to Thamasa- of course- and the two of them to Mobliz. The ship was on a steady path, and so, nearing the transfer ship for Thamasa.

"Sure is foggy out here." Relm was saying to herself as she saw the light to the other ship approaching.

"Becareful when you change ships, okay?" Terra instructed her.

The little artist made a puppet with her hand having it talk, and she grinned saying. "Of course I'll be careful; I mean, I'm 11 years old you think I'm a baby still?"

Relm felt the ship come to a stop; and when she grabbed her things, assisted by Setzer, she put a foot out in front of her and tripped. "Ahh." She cried out of shock.

Terra stifled laughter. "No. I don't think you're a baby," the Esper girl was saying answering Relms question. "I just think you should watch your step."

The little artist huffed in embarrassement and brushed her clothing off.

"Ready to go?" The gambler asked her and she nodded.

The two of them walked to the plank- as they call it- of the ship and crossed a big walk way over the water to another ship beside them, Setzer handed the girl her things when she was safely standing on the deck of the other ship and he turned around hearing as she said.

"Good bye, Setzer."

"Bye, Relm."

When Setzer was back on his destination-bound ship; the captain pulled the walkway back onto his ship and went to the head of it again to steer. "Won't be more than an hour folks you just hang tight."

Setzer watched Terra's shudder from a fog-bitten breeze that blew by in the sails, and he took odd his coat wrapping it around her.

"Thanks; it's really cold out here, isn't it?" She replied to his hospitality.

"I can't really tell, it's a lot colder in the air then down here so I'm used to it to an extent." He was saying as he buttoned his coat around her. "Care to join me in the galley? I'll bet it's plenty warm down there."

"Sure. And maybe we can find something to eat too. I know you're hungry and so am I." The Esper girl suggested knowing the food he took from the castle was for Edgar's guards and that he himself ate nothing.

"Read me like an opened book." He replied holding her hand in cupping fashion, and they walked below the decks.

It, in fact, was warmer down there from where the stoves were going from the ship crews dinner, and the engine room was letting off a lot of heat as well. "Hey there lass', you heading home now?" One of the men asked the Esper girl and she nodded shyly.

"Friends of yours?" Setzer asked, and she shook her head.

"Not exactly; it's just that this is the same ship Relm and I took to come here."

He made a sound of 'oh'; and they sat amongst a table that had men to every side of it but they slid over making room for them.

"Care to join us for dinner? It'll be done in a bit." A burly man said while looking at the bottom of his empty cup; he had an orange beard twisted up rather pointedly, but his hair looked to be a dark brown.

"Sure," Setzer said and then thought a moment. "before dinner how's about a game of cards?"

The men looked at each other and nodded with one of them saying. "Aye lad, but I warn yee we're good."

"I was hoping you were." He retorts pulling out a deck of cards from his jacket's inner pocket; Terra glanced down at his hands while he does this, once done he turned back to the men. "Ante up."

...

"That was all the money I had," one of them was saying. "what am I gonna tell my sweet heart?"

"You'll tell her..." Setzer started but stopped himself hearing the captain call down below.

"Everybody for Mobliz, get your things together!"

Setzer and Terra stood up, and he finished himself by saying. "Tell her the man that beat you was in too much of hurry to collect his winnings, good day gentlemen." He walked to the stairway with Terra, whom was glad he hadn't taken their money. It was one thing to hear about him doing it but to bare witness was a sad sight to see- for the other men that is.

The two of them marched through the dew-dropped grass out to the tiny village that remained almost nothing, regardless the homes that were built for the small group of people still willing to live in them.

Frowning. _'She really shouldn't live in a place like this, especially in the winter time; any one here could get sick from the cold, herself included, where's the nearest clinic? What kind of doctor do they have?'_ He looked down at her and she suddenly seemed distant; with his elbow he gave her a kindly nudge on the shoulder. "What's going on up there?" He asked.

The Esper girl just smiled then said. "Nothing, I was just thinking about what I was going to do once we got in."

"Well, what ever chores you have I'll help you; two hands makes for speedy work, right?"

"Right." She agreed with a nod.

They reached the door of her place, and the gambler went a little ahead of her to open the door.

"Thank you." She said walking inside.

He took one last look into the sky thinking, _'I may not have my ship but good fortune did come out of this.' _He went inside closing the door hearing an instant downpour right after.

"Mama!"

He heard a group of little girls and a boy shout when they saw her; he looked around the place as though he'd never been there before and then gazed at the sight of all the children, and how happy they were to see her; same thing for them from her.

_'Sweet.' _He thought with a smile and walked past them to sit down at a small makeshift table.

"Did you bring us anything?" A little boy asked jumping up and down, hoping for a yes.

_'Well he's charming.'_ Setzer thought sarcastically and pulled out his deck of cards setting up a game of Solitaire.

"Nope, no gifts today," Terra was saying then stood herself up gesturing. "but I brought a guest here to stay with us for a while." They all turned and looked at him.

He smiled saying. "Hi."

"This is Setzer, and Setzer this is Marlie, Brianna, Charlie, Howie, and Katrina; although she should be at home asleep in her bed." She said scolding a six year old girl who was probably staying with Katarin and her husband.

"I wanna see a trick first." The little girl said walking over to the table. "Can you do a trick, mister Sezter?"

"Yes, mister Sezter knows many tricks."

Terra laughed at his good humor for the girl saying his name wrong; and she sat down on the floor with the kids around her. Setzer joined them but sat in front so they could see what he was going to do.

"Watch this," The gambler said placing six cards face up in two's in front of the group. "all these cards are different, right?" They nodded and he continued. "But when you turn them over," he said flipping them all over to the back sides. "They're all the same..." he saw their blank expressions and then picked any random kid's name. "Brianna, can you flip a card over for me? Any one will do." He asked, and the little girl leaned forward flipping a card over.

"What does it show?" Setzer asked her.

She replied. "A A."

"An A." Terra corrected and the girl repeated her.

"Nnn A."

He laughed lightly to himself and gestured for her to place it back down with the other face down cards.

"Since the card at play is an Ace then I will make them all an Ace for you." He said to the girl who giggled.

He flipped her card back over revealing the Ace of spades and then he flipped the next one showing the same card and he continued down the line, and the kids eyes went wide with shock. They were all Ace's of spades.

"Whooaa! How did you do that?" They all asked standing up to crowd the pile of matching cards.

"It's all in the trick of the hand children, but I think it's time for little girls and little boys to get to bed, your mama thinks so too, right?" He said looking to Terra who nodded.

"Uh huh." She said feeling her cheeks flush.

The little boy said as though he'd just heard Setzer saying it, that he wasn't a little boy.

"Young men, too, then." Terra replied; and they all sighed and "aaawwed" that they had to go to sleep.

"I'll show you another trick when you wake up, but you have to promise to go right to bed." He promised them and they grinned.

"Okay!" They threw their arms around Terra's waist and then around his legs before they ran to their bedrooms.

"You are amazing, I didn't know you were so good with kids." Terra was saying gesturing a hand out for him to follow her to his room. "Everytime I think I have you figured out, you do something else that makes you a bit more complicated." The comment added as they went down the hall; she glanced idly into the rooms to make sure the kids had listened and sure enough they did.

"I'm not too much of a mystery." He brushed it off; but she looked at him oddly, then she reached out grabbing a knob.

"Here we are."

At the end of the hall she opened the door to a tiny room with a bed, and a small wooden writing desk with a lit candle on it; aside from that the room was baren.

"It's not as fancy as your bedroom on the Blackjack, but it'll keep the rain away." The Esper girl said walking in with him.

"Don't be so modest, this is way better than my bedroom."

She smiled to that because she knew he was just being nice, but it was good to hear either way. "If you need anything, I'm right next door on the right."

"Right." He replied sitting on the bed and setting them up as he'd recalled them, he restarts his interupted game of cards. "Good night, Terra." He said to her and she walked to the doorway and said in return.

"Good night."

As she was closing his door she was watching him a second then shook her head closing the door all the way, then gone into her own.


	5. Just One Touch

"Setzer?"

He heard Terra's voice outside the room followed by her light knocking on the wooden door. "Hey," he said plainly. "is it morning already?"

She shook her head walking into the room and sat down at the top half of the bed where his game wasn't set up.

"I saw the light still shining and thought you may have left it on. Have you been awake all this time? It's still really late, you should get some sleep." All her concern did was conjour up a laugh from him.

"You never stop taking care of people..." He said, pushing himself back to the top of the bed to sit next to her.

"I didn't know it was a problem for some." The Esper girl replied, and started playing nervously on her fingernails but he took her hand to stop her.

"No. It's not a problem," He began looking at her hand as though he were studying it, then he looked at her and she turned her eyes away to avoid contact with his. "I just mean, it'd be nice to have someone care that way about you too-...and mean it."

Terra shook her head disagreeing. "I'm not much to worry about. I've still got my magic, I think as far as safety goes I've got my own built in security."

The gambler nodded to that statement. She does, after all, still posses magic but he still worried about her...and cared for her. Terra could sense a bit of uncomfort forming between them and just as Setzer began to talk she cut him off without his words even getting out by saying,

"You sure play a lot of cards." she scooted to the bottom end of the bed and looked over his game of what looked like a pyrimad.

"I've never seen this game before?" She said trying to figure out how it was played from looking at the moves he left unfinished but nothing was sinking in.

"It's a new game I've been playing with, no name so far but the point of it is to place the cards in a stacked tower like this here," he gestured to the main set of cards that were laying flatly on the bed starting from a back facing card alone that expanded into a group of five cards two of which were flipped over.

"Next you take the leftover cards from the deck and you place them here above the tower," he contiued and she nodded. "and basically all you do is draw from the deck and stick which ever card showing here at the bottom, whether one higher or one lower, on top of it."

"Ohh." She replied and stared down at the cards figuring movements with her eyes; he watched her in all interest.

Setzer couldn't help but lean over to her, wanting to kiss what he had looked at- her sweet innocents.

"Oh no!" She called getting up making him almost plant his face into the bed. "That sounds like Brianna."

"I don't hear anything." He said getting up too following her to the door.

"Sure you do, it's just very low and-..." When she tried to open the door it snapped shut behind her, and she spun around seeing that he's got a hand pressed against it holding the door shut and the gambler standing so close to her. "U-h..." Were the only broken words of retreat she could try to get out before their lips met.

At first she wanted to push him away but found her hands only grabbing his shirt and holding on to him. The gambler wrapped his arms around her tiny form pinning them inside his embrace. "Mmh." She made a small sound when their kiss broke for a second but they were soon returned with more want and need. Setzer's tongue met her lips to part them more but she gasped and pulled back and he easily let her.

"I didn't mean to rush y-..."

But she cut him off. "No, I really have to go check on Brianna. She usually wakes up at this time of night any how..."

She let out a shuddered breath of words and he backed up a step or two letting her open the door. She glanced in one last time waving a hand to say good night, and he did the same and pressed his back against the door once it was closed and he let out a sigh.

"I blew it just that quickly." He said to himself and walked over to the bed lying down and closing his eyes, to try to go to sleep.

Outside of the room she was just pushing off of the door and started down the hall saying to herself. "I blew it, just that quickly."

She went into her bed room and closed her eyes to get some sleep but her dreams wouldn't let her sleep peacefully, and she tossed and turned watching images flash threw her mind.

"Teeeerraaaa...?" A haunting voice called. "Teeeeeerraaaaa...?" It called again and she kept her eyes tightly closed not wanting to open them until she heard the voice right in her ear. "Terra!"

She snapped her eyes open and looked around the room, there was a dark shadow sitting in the corner of her tiny bedroom and he looked at her with hypnotic eyes and a shapeless, expressionless face. He seemed to be nothing more than a puff of smoke floating around the room; she felt heat tingling in her hands.

"Yyyyessss Terraaa," he was saying to her, but she looked confused not knowing wether she was dreaming or awake. "listen to meee."

The dark figure floated across the room towards her into the light but it only made his shadowy physique darker, the only really notable thing were his eyes glowing in pure white dashes in his head; the cloud reached out a long tendril of itself and held it for her to take.

"Wh- who are you?" The Esper girl asked with caution, only looking at the skinny little arm being held in front of her face.

"Why, I'm your best friend Terra." He said. "I wanna help you with your problems." She remained silent. "You liiike Setzer, don't you?" She nodded to his question and he smiled.

His clouded body was beginning to encircle around her and hold her with in his air space that he was engulfing with his presence alone. "Wh- what do I do?" She asked him and a bit of his dust drifted into her mouth and out again.

"Go back there, Terra, and light his fire." He replied.

The Esper girl stood up from her bed, with her eyes still closed, and walked out of the room into Setzer's. He was laying there now, sound asleep on his back with his hands folded over his chest and his ankels crossedl she almost staggerd as she walked over to him and climbed on the bed with him, straddling over his waist.

"Light his fire..." She repeated slamming her hands down at either side of his head and the pillows lit up in a blaze...


	6. Laughable Love

Terra snapped up from her sleep and visually looked round the room. "I'm in my room," she was saying to herself. "then that means it was just a dream." But she still had doubts, so she got up to check Setzer's bedroom.

The door creaked open and she peeked inside, expecting to catch him sleeping or still playing cards. "He's gone!" The Esper girl walked steadly into the room to make sure he hadn't burnt to a pile of ash, but all she found was a note that read:

_Dear Terra,_

_I couldn't sleep, so I left early to start working on the Blackjack. Thank you for everything last night, see you when you get to South Figaro._

_Setzer_

_'That's a relief.'_ She thought to herself placing the note back on top of the little side table.

She looked round the room one last time before pushing off the bed, as she made her way to the door a strange sound turned her back to the bedroom, and her mouth dropped in a gasp. The room had caught fire suddenly- right where she had been sitting!

Terra looked around terrified and grabbed a handful of dirt from the wall and threw it at the flames but they weren't going out. The oxygen was getting thick in the little room and blackening the air making it hard to breathe. The Esper girl began to cough, and she backed into a corner curling herself into a flames danced along the room blocking her exit, and she sat there waiting for what she knew was gonna happen next when she heard a voice.

"Terra!" The voice called.

_'I know that voice.'_ She thought. "Setzer, I'm in here!" She stood up and saw him at the doorway, he walked right through the fire holding a bucket of water in his hands and then he tossed it on her. She woke up in a gasp of air, and was grabbed. "Noo, let me gooo!"

"Terra it's me!" The gambler shouted so she could hear him and her eyes opened. "What happened, are you all right? You've been screaming since I walked in, I was starting to think it was me." He chuckled lightly.

"I-..." She started but shook her head. "It was a bad dream that's all."

He made a sound of acknowledgement, and pulled her into a hug rocking her back and forth. "I'm sorry you had a bad dream. But bad nights can be good mornings, you know. I started breakfast for you and the kids, but I really must be going,"

He was talking, but Terra hadn't been listening to a word he was saying, too lost in thought from her dream wondering if it were true; the water felt so real, the air was so thick that she could smell the thick cloud of smoke-

_'Cloud of smoke?'_ She thought. _'What...was that thing?'_ She asked herself.

Seter backed her away from him, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't let your breakfast burn. I'll see you later, right?" The gambler said.

Blinking back to reality, she nodded. "Yeah."

Setzer gave her a quaint smile and brushed his hand over her cheek before standing, then walking out the door. "That cloud of smoke was telling me to burn the room that Setzer was asleep in, but why would my subconscience make me wanna do something like that?" She couldn't understand it even when she said it outloud.

"Mamma!" She heard one of the little boys calling. "I'm hungry!"

"Me too!" Said a little girl after him.

"I'm coming!" She called to them, and got up from the bed walking out the room; but she didn't see the little hand printed burn mark on her bed sheets, that were still lit with a dim glow.

~ ~ ~

That morning the others had decided to surprise Setzer and start on his ship before he got there, and so far it was dry as a bone inside and out. The sun was beating down on them knocking out the chilling fall air so much so that they yanked their shirts off and let them fall to the ground- all but Edgar who left his bunched around his waist.

"Hhhhhaaaauuuuuuhhhhh!" Sabin yawned loudly, stretching his arms towards the sky. "Man, this is what mornings are made of- it takes me back to my younger days training in the mountains with Duncan."

Edgar made a sound of disbelief that he enjoyed all those days of training. "This coming from a man who came home every afternoon bloody and bruised."

Locke laughed remembering the first night, because Sabin's cries could be heard through out the castle when his mother put medicine on them, so they wouldn't infect.

"You laugh, but it was great."

"Uh huh," Locke's sawing into a slab of wood through a line he marked on it. "I can still hear your screams echoing off the castle walls." He and Edgar looked at each other than mocked his brothers yelling. "Aaahhhh!"

Sabin just threw his head back and started laughing. "Yeeeah, training was great.. but that medicine was like liquid fire on your cuts, you'd be screaming too- not that a nancy boy like Edgar would know about that."

"Nancy boy?" The king repeated in shock. "As if swordplay is easy and safe." He continued to defend himself.

"Yeah Sabin," Locke said jumping in as well.

"I'm sure rounded wood can leave a nasty cut on a person."

Edgar heard the mock humor from his best friend. Sabin laughed at that and gave the thief a high-five.

"Ahoy there!" They heard Setzer calling, and looked to the ocean where the ship was approaching the docks.

"Heey!" The blitz specialist said waving to him.

"All right, maybe now we'll know exactly what it is we're doing." Exclaimed Locke, putting another fresh cut piece of wood on top of a small pile he was making.

"This is a surprise, what are you guys doing out here so early?" Setzer was saying as he approached the three men.

"We thought that since you'd probably be out here all alone, we'd help you out. I mean, it'll make the work go faster." Locke said picking up the pile of wood. "What do we do with these?" He then asked.

"I'll take them." Setzer said grabbing the short pile of wood from the thief taking them over to the ship, putting them down, before he began to tear the old burnt ones off.

The three mean watched him a minute then smiled mishcieviously and walked over to his side and started to help him.

"So," Sabin started to say. "how uh- how was the sleepover in Mobliz? Nice and comfy?" He asked, and Setzer shook his head.

"I don't know, I was up all night." The three men tried to hold their laughter in thinking they knew what Setzer was getting at. "What's so funny?" He asked holding a fresh piece of wood up to the ship, and taking a handful of nails, placing some in between his teeth for holding while he held the board in place to bang the first nail in.

"Nothing." Sabin went on.

"Then what's with the laughing?" The gambler asked and Locke blurted it out- Sabin could take forever sometimes.

"Did you sleep with Terra?"

Setzer started gagging on the nails and spit them to the ground. "What? Why on earth would you think I'd sleep with her?" He asked looking at the three of them.

"Oh come on, Setz', we all know about your reputation." Sabin replied patting the man on the back.

"My reputation?" Setzer said mostly to himself as though he'd completely forgotten it.

"Uh huh," Locke was saying, "I mean there was that girl in Albrook, the girl in Tzen, those two girls in Jidoor and let's not forget about-..."

"Alright-..." The gambler said lowly.

"Not to mention the body count alone in your ship." Edgar was playing along with him.

"And then the-..." Sabin started to say but Setzer cut him off saying.

"Alright!" He paused a second to see if any one would interupt him, but they didn't seem like they were going to so he went on.

"There weren't that many, give me a little credit." He was going to pound the nail into the wood but his arm froze mid-air and he added. "And that thing in Jidoor was a lie, I don't know who started it but you can't honestly believe everything you hear."

They held their hands up in defense and went back to work tearing out the burnt boards, but Sabin had to get his last dig in. "And the girl in the opera house balcony."

Setzer shook his head in disbelief, and slapped Sabin in the back of the head.

"What?" The blitz specialist laugh out.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't sleep with her." Locke said offhandedly.

"Why's that?" Setzer had to ask out of curiousity.

"Because, I mean with all those girls and all, true or not, I wouldn't want her to get hurt- I mean, she's like a sister to me."

Edgar nodded to the statement along with Sabin.

"Well that hurts." Setzer was saying. "You guys honestly think I'd sleep with her, and toss her to the dogs?" Looking at their faces he could tell the answer was yes because they down cast their eyes and stared at the grass.

"Well you're wrong I happen to lo-..." His words broke off when he saw her approaching, with Celes, and the others looked up and saw them as well.

"Oh great." Locke mumbled to himself and started yanking the boards away a little violently.

"Good morning boys. Need some help?" Celes asked grabbing a plank of wood, along with a hammer and two nails, and without invitation began pounding them into the wood.

"I'm gonna go fix up your bedroom Setz', see ya." The thief went on board the ship and down the hall to Setzer's bedroom.

"What was that all about?" The gambler asked and Edgar gestured his head in Celes's direction.

"I'm gonna go help him." The king stated and went on board as well.

"What can I do?" Terra asked, seeing everyone else had something to do aside from her; Setzer took her hand steering her over to other side of the ship.

"You can help me on this side." He answered, then exampled what to do.

When she seemed distracted enough at her job, he glanced at her and let out a sigh making sure his voice was still there before he spoke. "Terra?"

"Yes?" She asked keeping with what she was doing.

"Do you believe in love? I mean, the real thing?" He asked her, and she froze a second thinking it over.

"I don't know, I've never been in love before."

"Oh." He said lowly and went back to work. "Well, what if I were to tell you that I am in love with you?"

She instantly started laughing to that at one, and replied. "With your reputation, I'm not sure I'd believe it." She laughed a second more, then asked. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"No reason, just needed some love advice." He said lamely and went back to hammering.

Terra looked at him with a smile. "I doubt you'll need it. Who's the lucky girl?"

Setzer frowned a second then replied. "No one. Just curious about a girls point of view."

"Oh." She said quietly to herself when something clicked in her head, and she gasped silently. _'Did he just say he was in love with me?'_ She wondered and opened her mouth to say something but he interupted before the words could come out.

"I'm gonna go work on the deck. See you around." Before she could say anything back, he'd disappeared around the side of the ship._ 'I blew it again...maybe I should talk to him tonight.' _The Esper girl thought and nodded as a self agreement. _'Tonight.'_


	7. How Does It Feel To Let It Out?

In Setzer's bedroom on the ship, Locke is putting the soggy contents from the sidetable drawers on top of it to let Setzer know what needed to be replaced, if they were important. Closing the little drawer his finger was pinched.

"Ow, shit." He said casually and shook it as though it were wet.

"What's the matter?" Edgar asked walking over to him, taking his hand to look at it. "It's okay, no blood at least." The king brought the injured finger up to his lips and kissed it better.

"Thanks." Locke said kind of embarrassed that Edgar still felt he needed his injuries kissed better- not that he minded. "Check this out." Locke reached over to the pile of papers he'd left on the little table, showing one to Edgar.

"What's this?" The king asked taking them and looking at the addressy on the front. "To Setzer..." He read out loud to himself. "Looks like Terra's hand writing." He confirmed to himself because Locke obviously already knew.

"Looks like they were penpals." The thief said reading one of them to himself, and then he placed the soggy note back into its equally drenched envelope. "Guess we don't have to worry about them too much, ha ha..." The theif looked down at his feet and kicked a little piece of disguarded debris across the floor.

Edgar cocked his head looking at his love and asked. "That's not what's really bothering you, is it?"

Locke looked up at him and grinned guiltily. "No." He replied and went on. "It's Celes, she's- she's still in love with me...even though she doesn't say it out loud and, even though she doesn't show it when she's around me but I know she does."

The thief's shoulders sank as though he were giving up all hope, and the king walked over to him placing his arms around him and he rocked them back and forth.

Locke let out a heavy sigh and burrowed his face into Edgar's shirtless skin. "I just don't know what to do, I mean, most girls get it at 'I don't like you that way' but not this girl."

"Poor thing." Edgar said caressing his hair. "Maybe we should just tell her and everyone else- I mean, we've been sneaking around for years now, how much longer could we keep it up anyway?" Edgar felt Locke shaking his head against him and he frowned.

"We can't do that, what would be the point? I mean if we told them the truth they'd either hate us for not telling them, or they'd hate us for who we are- I'm used to being alone but you're not; it wouldn't be fair."

"You don't understand, Locke. I wouldn't be alone because I'd have you...the others are easy to make up with, I doubt they'd stay mad forever."

The thief looked up into his lover's eyes and smiled, "You always know how to cheer me up." he said, receiving a kiss from Edgar on the nose.

"Mm hmm."

Locke sighed out with a new breath of hope and pulled himself back saying. "Look at me, behaving like a girl." He laughed off his frustration. "We'd better get back to work, or someone might wonder what we're doing in here."

Edgar nodded and they began to clear the things in the room that were burned.

Outside of the airship, Celes is hammering tentively when she stops and looks at Sabin.

"Sabin can I ask you something?" She said and the blitz specialist glanced at her replying.

"Sure, anything."

"It's about Locke... do you think that he-...he hates me?" She asked calmly really wanting to know the answer to the question.

"Locke, huh?" Sabin said scratching his chin before answering her. "Not in this life time, maybe he's just busy with so much other stuff that he hasn't got the time for girlfriends- or maybe he's just not interested in you as anything more than a friend."

"That's what he keeps saying." Celes stated mostly to herself; Sabin reached out a hand patting her on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry about it though, there's plenty of other fish in the sea, you don't need to be stuck on one guy."

The ex-general nodded and smiled. "You're right, maybe I should just give up- I already think I may have some one in mind too." She smiled at Sabin who made a face; but when she laughed patting him on the back roughly, he took ease that she was joking.

_'Girls.' _Sabin thought shaking his head.

~ ~ ~

The group had worked all day and most of the night, and by the time they were all leaving to go home to their beds the Blackjack was almost it's old self again. Setzer was in his bed room tidying up when he heard a knock on the door frame.

"Setzer, are you coming home with me?" Terra asked and walked into the nicely-sized room.

"Uum," He started and then shook his head. "I'm nearly done here, I think I'll stay behind and finish, you go on ahead with out me."

The Esper girl nodded and turned around leaving him for a moment then she backed herself up and walked into the room grabbing a knocked over burnt chair and stood it up in a corner with a pile of scortched things. The gambler looked back at her and smiled to himself.

_'Don't worry Terra, all the woman in the world wouldn't do a thing for me the way you do.' _He thought and sighed._ 'But getting you to believe me is a different story.' _Setzer went back to polishing the crud off of her favorite desk, brushing some sand paper over it to try and salvage the ruined finish on it.

"Do you wanna keep these?" He heard her asking and he turned around seeing in her hands a pile of letters that were obviously from her.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't throw away the ashes if they got burned." He replied walking over to her and taking them from her hands.

The letters were still a bit wet, but they were drying off and the ink was a bit runny but they were still in tact.

"See there, it says 'from Terra' and I can't just throw them away. It'd be like throwing out some memory of you that I have."

Terra blushed and looked away. "I know what you mean, I have everything anyone's ever given me." It was quiet a moment and then she added. "...And if you don't mind, I'd like to keep the fact that we kissed forever."

His mouth dropped open a second, and she looked down playing with her fingernails until he took her hands in his own and pulled her in for a kiss.

When their hands broke free from each other's grasps, Setzer put his arms around the Esper girl's waist picking her up and backing them up over to the bed behind him, never breaking the kiss.

He felt the bed then turned around laying her down on it, along with himself half way on top of her so she wouldn't feel pinned down.

"Mmh," she moaned lightly inside his mouth as he was breaking away and kissing down her neck.

His hands ran over the outline of her body down under her buttuck, raising her leg around his waist elevating the leg. The gambler positioned himself better over her; moving his lips over to her ear he nibbled lightly on the lobe, then whispered, "I wanna make love to you, Terra." and he continued kissing around her ear and said. "But only if you'll join me?"

_'Make love with Setzer...?'_ The Esper girl let the thought run through her head, and she sighed in pleasure feeling something well up inside of her. "...I will." She breathed out and he planted a kiss on her lips.

The gambler took the invitation well and undid the buckles on her dress, he slipped it down past her body and let it drop to the floor. Setzer wandered his mouth down her neck to her collarbone and at the peek of her breast, letting his tongue come out to get a taste of her skin.

"Uh..." She breathed out feeling the contact of it.

Terra's temperature rose over the enclosure of Setzer's mouth around her hardened nipple and sucked on it with need, taking in as much of her breast his mouth could while his tongue slid heatedly over her pinkish flesh. Setzer greatly enjoyed the taste of her and recognized the mixed berry oils from the bath she took this morning, and a light mix of sweat from her hardwork earlier.

"U-ah..." She moaned arching her back off the bed.

Setzer felt the heat between Terra's legs, and his own giving him a hard-on fast. The gambler's mouth left her breasts kissing a way down to the Esper girl's stomach finding her belly button, his tongue outlined it before dipping itself into the hole making her breath ragged and her hands ran into his mop of hair caressing it.

Terra's hips moved against his chest, searching for more- of what? She was uncertain. But she got her answer when Setzer slid himself lower on the bed, holding her hips in place with his hands and bit down onto the rim of her panties dragging them down over her body; while his hands took over the task, he left three kisses in a row down the newly showing skin between the Esper girl's legs then licked back up the path his mouth had just made.

Terra drew in a sharp breath gasping and felt him reverse the process licking down her lower middle and then kiss up it the three times. Setzer moved back up to her face, kissing her just between the eyes.

The gambler's skilled hands retraced up her body, sweeping like wind, then he pressing the pads of his thumb around her nipples as he positioned himself perfectly between her legs letting her feel his member through his pants. She seemed to be curious about that idea, when he rolled himself over so that Terra was on the top of him.

The Esper girl took some lesson from what he'd done to her, letting her tongue wander into his mouth, her curiousity and clumsiness with the act met effectionately. Terra's hands moved gently down his shirt, and she popped the buttons of it open to run her hands gracefully up his bare skin and she brushed the pad of her thumbs over his nipples as he did to her; he sighed into her mouth and sucked down at the tip of her tongue a second when it returned into his mouth.

_'I've never touched a man this way before...'_ The Esper girl was thinking, wanting to explore more of him she broke away from the kiss and looked down at his chest breathing underneath her bare body; her hands touched the sides of him feeling little up-grown slices here and there, and she kissed down on them- any of them that she could find.

Terra could feel the inner laugh Setzer made from her lips tickling his sides. She kissed him on the lips once more and then pushed at his shirt so that he could help her take it off.

Leaning up on his elbows he let her undress him then she moved down to his pants, the gambler raised his hips and let her slide the fabric away.

She laughed quaintly liking what she saw and reaching down she touched it recieving a hiss from him. Terra smiled and pushed him back down as she slid her tongue up his chest and to his mouth where she kissed him.

"...Are you ready?" He asked her rolling back over so that she was below him. He hoped the answer would be 'yes', because he's ready to blow just from the idea of it all being with whom he's with.

Terra could feel his need pressing against her own, causing her to blush and she nodded.

His hand rested on the gentle flesh of her inner thigh and he spread her legs apart resting between her and she closed her eyes feeling his lips at her ear. "This may hurt a bit just hold on to me." He whispered and she clentched her teeth down waiting for it.

She made a tiny sound feeling the head go in and wrapped her arms tightly around his back; and then she felt the rest of his length slowly enter her, parting through her body in a way she didn't think was possible. Terra's face planted itself in his shoulder as she cried out in pain, and he slid out of her partly and rolled over holding her hips to bring her up into sitting position.

"I'm sorry, this way will hurt less." Setzer was saying, when he felt a tear drop from her hit his cheek. "Lower yourself down onto me, I promise the pain will go away."

He tenderly held her face and kissed her on the forehead; she nodded and lowered herself down gently onto his length finding that he was right, the pain had subdued a bit and she found herself sitting upon him comfortably; Setzer shifted his hips under her for his own comfort and she lay down and kissed him to let him know she was ready now.

The gambler rolled them back over and she made a low noise again because his weight on her; the difference of having herself on him compared to his laying on her was immense. But he waited for her to relax before he started his slow thrust into her, the Esper girl arched her back and moaned responding to the pleasure with her own rocking onto him.

"Ahh..." He breathed in her ear, "Uhhh..." she moaned back, breathing raggedly as he rocked into her harder.

The more their breathing picked up the faster they went and they met their lips together kissing each other hungrily. Terra wasn't sure what made this so amazing to her. Was it the build up and mystery of it all? The man, who confessed to caring for her this way and maybe more? Or perhaps it was the pleasureful feeling of something new going on with her body; something that other women have experienced with someone they love and who loves them. Whatever it was, it filled her entirely.

"Huuu...Ahhh..."

The pressure in their bodies swelled until they felt themselves release. He filled her body with his love and when she released, they drowned each other out with their cries of pleasure. "Aaahhh!" The two of them lay there together with their arms wrapped around the other person's body.

Terra nuzzled her face into his collar and sighed out. "Setzer, what...?" She couldn't ask. With his reputation, it could easily have just been a moment between them.

The gambler kissed her and replied in a whisper that stilled her fears. He cares for her, and he wants to court her.


	8. So You've Seen Him Too?

The two of them lay comfortably wrapped around each other in his bed as they slept. Terra blinked her eyes opened and looked around the room. "Is somebody there?" She whispered lowly so she wouldn't wake Setzer up.

Something moved in the corner of the room right underneath the burnt pile of wood. "It's you again."

The dark cloud floated across the room, never taking his eyes from her. Terra stared at the smog as well, until a burning sensation started in her hands. "Stay away from him, or I'll light _your_ fire." The Esper girl threatened receiving a laugh from the cloud- or what sounded like a laugh. It floated over to the bed.

There was an odd sound when he moved like a rattle snakes tale; and when he reached her he held out his clouded hand again then ran it across her face, slightly into her mouth pulling it back out.

"Terraaaa..." He said and she shrank away against the pillows on the bed, but he moved closer boxing her in.

"What do you want from me?" She asked panicking. "Who are you?"

The cloud seemed amussed at the fact that she would even ask a question like that and he breathed himself in her face saying.

"My naame isss Nexsissss." There was a rattle in his voice like when he moved and her mind seemed to be running over that name as though she may have known it. "And what I waaant, is to be your frieeend, Terraaa..."

Terra looked disgusted and shook her head. "Can't say I return the feelings." She leaned over and gave Setzer's shoulder a shake. "Setzer wake up." But he didn't seem to wanna move. "Setzer wa-..." Her hand passed through his body and she pulled them back gasping. "What's going on?" She asked feeling her breath pick up in fear.

"You're in myyy world Terra, he won't wake up." The cloud seemed darker and bigger than before!

Her hands had ignited themselves on fire, and she held them up in defense to keep him back but his laughter filled her ears. Nexsis blew a black clouded breeze over her hands causing the flames on them to jump back on her, and she smacked them off only spreading it worse.

"No!" She said in pure terror, never afraid of fire before now. "Get them off of me!"

Nexsis laughed and wrapped himself around her putting out the fire; and he dragged it over to Setzer placing it around him instead.

"Stop it!" Terra shouted and tried beating the flames out with her hands but the cloud laughed, and grabbed her pinning her to the bed. "Get off!"

She kept shouting, feeling hands wrapped tightly around her upper arms and she was being shaken.

"Get offf!" She kept shouting. "Let me gooo!"

"Terra wake up!" Setzer shouted but she continued to scream at him.

"Get off of me!" The Esper girl cried still seeing Nexsis around her holding her down, so in retaliation she lit her hands up blasting what she thought was the demon cloud away from her, the audible thump jumped her out of her sleep.

Setzer was on the floor but got up in an orange ball and yanked his shirt off dropping it to the floor, stomping it out.

"Setzer I-..." She started but he just looked at her in horror.

"It was you." The gambler exclaimed.

"No, you don't understand, I di-..."

He shook his head, and backed out of the room. "I want you to go." Was all he said and Terra's heart sank.

"Setzer wait!" She called getting up from the bed and following him; he seemed to be going to his office and the door closed sharply behind him. "Setzer wait, you don't understand. I didn't do it!" She pressed her hand against the door and lay her forehead against it. "Why won't you listen to me?" The Esper girl asked.

The quiet had lasted for a good five minutes when, finally, he opened the door. "Setzer I-..."

He held up a hand silencing her and said. "Go back to Mobliz, Terra, please."

Terra bit down on her bottom lip and started picking at her fingernails. but he took her hands stopping her.

"Don't do that, you'll ruin your hands." The gambler said and then he let them go. "Please leave..."

Terra looked at him with welled tears in her eyes. He turned away from the sight of that, very kindly saying to her. "I'm sorry."

But she just walked out of sight, her tears dotting the floor.

"Terra?" He called to her from a place where his heart strings had broken for her. "Terra wait!" He ran down the hall after her but she took off once she hit the grass outside, but he followed her.

The Esper girl was headed towards the South caves meaning she was going to Figaro castle. The gambler followed her as fast as he could but she seemed to be soaring over and through everything. He hesitated at the mouth of the cave, hating the cramped tight space, but ran through it any ways.

"Terra wait!" He called to her but she didn't listen; when the two of them finally came out of the caves she bolted towards the desert area, and for her luck the castle was sitting not too far across it.

"Who goes-..." The guards started but stopped when they noticed her.

"Can I come in, please?" She asked and they moved aside for her and she walked into the castle going to the living room.

"Excuse me." Setzer said and recognizing him they let him by as well. He was apperantly too late in catching her because when he reached the living room he was greeted by rather annoyed faces.

"Before you say anything-..." The gambler started but, Locke crossed the room and slammed him into a wall.

"What did you do to her?" The thief demanded.

"I didn't do anything, why don't you ask her what she almost did to me!"

She sat on the chair, holding her hands together and trying not to cry, while Edgar made attempts to comfort her with kind words.

"Doesn't look like she's the one that should be explaining anything." The thief snapped at him.

"Well if I may be perfectly blunt, she tried to light me on fire. Granted she was asleep, but she still tried to do it even after she woke up." Setzer tried to explain but, Locke held his ground.

"That doesn't sound like something Terra would do." He snipped.

Setzer let out a huff shaking his head. "Forget it, you're not gonna listen to me- obviously -so why bother explaining anything?" With that the gambler walked out the door leaving the castle.

"Good ridance." Locke spat after him and then walked over to the couch where Terra and Edgar were sitting. "Are you ok?" He asked receiving a nod.

"I'm fine. Really I am, and Setzer didn't do anything wrong. I-... I just over reacted that's all." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand; Edgar gave her a handkerchief.

"Thank you." The Esper girl replied dabbing her eyes.

"Come on my dear, let's get you to a room and get you to sleep, okay?" Edgar rubbed her shoulders, helping her up. "I'll send Winston in with some tea to calm your nerves."

"Thank you," The Esper girl replied through a cracked voice. "I hope it's not too much trouble."

"None at all." Edgar said leading her away.

Not about to let it go, the thief left the room and walked into the main entry after Setzer. "Setzer..." He called out. The gambler turned a circle then kept going. "Setzer wait." The thief called and when they were outside he reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Hang on."

"Why?" Setzer asked. "You wanna give me the proper send off?"

Locke looked taken aback by that and cast his eyes downwards saying. "No. I just wanted to know what happened, I was being too rash, I guess."

"You guess." The gambler replied in a mocking tone, but then sighed. "If you really wanna know, Terra and I were on my ship. I've stayed behind to finish up and she helped me, when we went to sleep I woke up and she was screaming again-.."

"Again, she's done it before?" Asked Locke and Setzer nodded.

"The first time was when I was asleep in Mobliz, I went into her room and she was screaming her head off about something only this time she tried to burn me and my ship to the ground." The gambler went on. "It's as though she's having nightmares about something attacking her, but she thinks it's real even when she's awake."

"That is strange." The thief replied scratching his chin. _'That sounds a lot like what happened to me when I was poisoned three weeks ago...there was someone- no some _thing_, in my dream that told me to hurt Edgar...could that same thing be telling Terra to hurt Setzer?'_ Locke was thinking to himself quietly, while Setzer was watching his face trying to pick up on something.

"Locke, you in there?" He asked and the thief blinked back to life.

"When Terra woke up what was she saying?"

"Well," he began.

9 9 9

"Terraaa," Nexsis rasped to her sleeping figure waking her within the dream.

"You." She could feel her skin begin to boil as he walked over to her, and wrapped his darkness around her shoulders. "Leave me alone!" She threw a ball of fire at it but it soared through him and hit the wall burning itself out. "Why didn't it work?" The Esper girl asked through confusion, looking at her hands.

"Llliisten to me, Terraaa." Nexsis was saying but she covered her ears.

"Nooo."

"Your friends are keeping you from what's youuuurss." He said to her, wrapping himself around her more.

"My friends? Keeping me from what's mine..." She repeats, seeing it nod while pointing at the door.

"Over theere, Terraaa." She looked in that direction and he helped her up from the bed and steered her over to the door. "We have to stop hiiim from taking away what belongs to youu."

Terra was trying to wake herself up but nothing was working. She's just dragged to the door then out of it.

"Edgar's room is right up this haaall. You have to stop him." The demon continued to say to her.

"I have to-...stop him..." She repeated and walked down the hall to the door.

"I'm afraid you can't come in here, the king is-..AAHH!" Nexsis sent out a blast of energy at the men blocking the door, and they fell against the wall groaning in pain.

The doors were pushed open in a blast of air. Edgar turned around in his seat at the vanity, seeing his friend as she walked oddly across the room. He cocked a brow at her. "Terra? What is it?"

He stood from his seat, waiting for an answer as he approached her but she doesn't answer, instead she walked over to his bed raising a hand igniting it with a ball of fire.

"What are you doing?!" He asked standing up.

The Esper girl seemed not to care what he was saying as she let the fire ball fall to his bed.

"No!" The king tried to grab her arms around her back and stop her but Nexsis pushed him away. "Aahh!" He hit the wall and shook it off. "Stop, Terra!" He said running over to her this time and grabbing her pinning her arms down.

Outside.

"And that's the whole story." Setzer quieted for Locke's reaction.

The thief nodded to himself to confirm. "That wasn't Terra's doing it was something else, we have t-..."

"AAaaahhhhh!" They heard a scream and glanced at each other a second saying in unison.

"That sounds like Terra."

They both rushed back into the castle and listened for the where the screaming was coming from.

"Oh no, she's attacking Edgar." Locke said seeing his door open.

The two of them ran down the hall to the king's massive bedroom; charging in to see them both sitting on the floor, with Terra wriggling to get free of Edgar's grasp.

"Let me gooo!" She cried out but he held her fast.

"She just freaked out, came in here, and tried to burn my bed to cinders." Edgar explained. "I don't know what could have gotten into her."

While they were talking Locke looked around the room until his eyes met with another pair, but they quickly faded away and as he pointed out at it a strange feeling came over all of them causing collapse.

"Terra...?" Came a voice in the darkness. "Terra wake up? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes began to scruntch up and then they opened in a blink. "What happened?" She asked and they helped her up from the floor.

"We're not sure ourselves." Edgar replied rubbing his head.

"Terra?" Locke began. "You were trying to kill us by using your powers..."

The Esper girl seemed stunned by those words, looking at the burnt corner of Edgar's blanket. "I did? I don't remember any of... I'm sorry you guys, I didn't know..." She looked into their eyes for forgiveness, and they waved a hand to her.

Locke and Edgar turned to Setzer, but he held up a hand to silence what he knew was coming.

"No, no don't tell me you're sorry I just wanna hear that I was right."

They seemed a bit put-off about that one, but shrugged and said. "You were right."

The gambler grinned at that and said to them. "Thank you."

Locke rolled his eyes at him, but smiled then turned to Terra who still seemed a bit confused.

"When you were dreaming," he was saying to her. "did you see this big black thing that looked like a cloud?"

She thought hard a minute and then remembered a clear image of it, then she nodded. "I did. It was telling me that you guys were trying to keep me from what was mine, and then it told me that I should burn Setzer's ship in a dream I was having one night."

"That must be how that fire was started." Edgar exclaimed, then turned her to face him. "Are you all right now, though?" He asked and she nodded.

"I feel fine."

"That's good," Setzer cut in and then added. "Terra, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before about what happened. My ship means a lot to me, but not more than you."

"That's okay. I understand." She said waving a hand to him but something was still bothering Locke.

_'One time is just a coincidence, but twice. There has to be someone or some thing behind this, and I'm gonna find out who or what it is.'_

THE END?


End file.
